Chapter 81: A Clear Conscience

“Leave? You cannot leave now.

You delight in devouring humans. Today, I, Qi Xiu, will let you taste what it feels like to be hunted.”

The atmosphere suddenly grew cold and sinister. Qi Xiu flicked his sleeve, and black mist surged around him.

A ferocious black water dragon with green eyes and long horns, as thick as a barrel, swam through the air, its dark scales gleaming.

“Devour them!”

At Qi Xiu’s command, the ink dragon, already impatient, let out a furious roar. In an instant, it leaped forward as a terrifying blur, pouncing upon the half-demons before it.

“Be careful!”

Sensing the icy, oppressive chill emanating from the ink dragon—like ten thousand years of frozen darkness—the chief of the half-demons uttered a low warning, drawing a brass short club and meeting the attack head-on.

The two figures collided.

The half-demon chief moved with astonishing speed, wielding his brass club so swiftly and fiercely that not even a breeze could slip through. Each blow carried the force of ten thousand pounds, brutal and relentless.

Ordinary martial artists, even those with true mastery, could not withstand more than a few moves against him. On top of that, his body exuded a poisonous miasma from festering sores. The poison was potent; even those with the physique of true martial artists could not resist for long. Merely inhaling it would cause them to collapse instantly.

With such formidable strength and toxic aura, not even five or six martial artists or sorcerers together could match him. This was precisely why Lord Jin Cai stationed him here.

Yet, unfortunately, these two trump cards were useless against the ink dragon. It was like hammering a fist into cotton—nowhere to exert force.

The ink dragon, a manifestation of magical power, could shift freely between tangible and intangible states. The poisonous miasma was laughable in comparison. Poison against a creature that thrived on filth and corruption?

The chief swung his club with tremendous force, striking straight through the ink dragon’s body and smashing into the ground.

A sharp crack resounded. The earth within ten meters sank abruptly. Dust billowed, and spiderweb cracks spread instantly.

The ink dragon suddenly opened its maw, gleaming with razor-sharp fangs, and unleashed a torrent of black mist like a flood.

“Ugh!”

The half-demon chief caught the full brunt of the cold, sinister breath and groaned in agony. His skin shriveled, black ice shards tore through it, his flesh crumbled away, and even his bones began to turn brittle.

Within a heartbeat, he shrank by nearly a third.

“Go! Warn the lord!”

Feeling the ink dragon’s terror, the chief howled desperately.

Witnessing their leader’s devastation at the ink dragon’s hands, the second and third commanders, along with the remaining half-demons, were stunned and terrified.

“Run!”

Not daring to hesitate, the second commander shouted and attempted to flee with the others.

“I told you—you cannot leave.”

Qi Xiu stepped forward, his aura surging as his wide sleeves fluttered, eyes glowing emerald. He poured a vast amount of magical power into the Jiao Pool ring.

A strange force spread from the magical artifact.

Suddenly, the ground became moist, and the air thick and slippery.

Qi Xiu pressed two fingers together in a sword gesture, tapping his left palm, then slammed it onto the earth. The solid ground rippled like water.

Secret Art of Jade Pool’s Hidden Scales—Death Marsh!

Secret Art of Jade Pool’s Hidden Scales—Water Wraiths!

The sound of water breaking echoed continuously.

A dozen figures appeared, their hair hanging loose, arms reaching past their knees, bodies cold and damp, skin pallid and ghostly. Their chilling, pale eyes swept over the half-demons.

The water wraiths melted and sank into the wet earth.

“Second commander, the ground—!” one half-demon cried in terror.

The marsh-like ground silently swallowed the feet of the half-demons.

They struggled desperately to pull themselves free. Just as one managed to lift a foot, a cold, pale hand suddenly reached up from below and seized its ankle.

With relentless force, the hand dragged it underground!

“Damn it! Who is this sorcerer?”

Smashing the hand gripping his ankle, the second commander shouted urgently.

But in the next moment, more pale hands emerged, frantically tugging, trying to drown him alive beneath the surface.

The power is greater than I expected—most troublesome, really.

Qi Xiu calmly watched as the water wraiths dragged the despairing half-demons into the depths, nodding in satisfaction.

The spells recorded in the Jade Pool’s Hidden Scales Heart Scripture, apart from the core and most difficult ink dragon, numbered only three: Shadow Veil, Death Marsh, and Water Wraiths.

Each corresponded to the three stages before entering the Dao. Mastering each stage unlocked a spell.

Shadow Veil was the simplest, essentially an invisibility spell. Yet, for all its simplicity, it was not crude. If one’s magical power was sufficient, the area affected by Shadow Veil could be expanded indefinitely—even to cloak an entire city. Such a feat would require the power of a Dao-level practitioner.

Death Marsh and Water Wraiths were the spells Qi Xiu now wielded. Death Marsh transformed the ground within its range into a swamp infused with supernatural energy. Those who fell into it would gradually have their vitality drained, becoming weaker and weaker until death claimed them.

The water wraiths were in truth the souls of beings drowned in the Death Marsh. These wraiths usually lurked in the Jiao Pool, numbering nearly ten thousand in total.

If the caster’s magical power was vast enough, Death Marsh and Water Wraiths together could overwhelm a county in short order, turning all who died in the marsh into new wraiths, until a sea of water wraiths filled the Jiao Pool.

“Invisibility first, then Death Marsh, then summon Water Wraiths—a seamless combo, saturated with sinister cunning. Without Dao-level strength, anyone who enters can only be dragged to their doom. No wonder the Blood Alliance is desperate to reclaim this Jiao Pool. With this ring alone, a powerful sorcerer could equal an army of ten thousand.”

Qi Xiu stroked the ink jade ring on his thumb, staring indifferently as the half-demons were consumed by the marsh.

Nearby, the half-demon chief was left with only half a head after being devoured by the ink dragon.

“The vitality of demons is truly remarkable.”

He crouched, observing the exposed white brain of the chief, who still clung to life, and waved away the stench.

“Perfect—one last use for this waste.”

A Spell of Confusion and Disarray flared.

Familiar interrogation echoed across the land, thick with the scent of death.

After a while, the chief’s head slumped, its last value exhausted.

Qi Xiu kicked the corpse aside, rose, and walked to the entrance of the hall reeking of blood and rot.

Sunlight streamed in.

His sudden appearance made the trembling crowd inside stare in terror and unease.

Seeing their tearful, fearful, and despairing eyes, Qi Xiu was moved.

“Don’t be afraid. You’re safe now.”

Eight simple words. Yet, for those trapped in darkness so long, they triggered a flood of tears.

After enduring endless fear and despair, watching their kin devoured alive by demons, scenes like a living hell, everyone finally relaxed their taut nerves.

Weeping became their only release.

...

“In just ten days, two hundred seventy-nine people were eaten. What horrors must await in Dongli County, now under Jin Cai’s rule?”

Watching the survivors depart, thanking him profusely, Qi Xiu’s clenched fist sweated slightly.

He didn’t consider himself a model youth; honesty about found money might make him hesitate. But seeing his people hunted like livestock by demons, a surge of unspeakable disgust and rage made him restless.

Clearly, his trip to Dongli County would be a slaughter.

Still, demon-slaying ought to count as a good deed.

Well, whatever. Right or wrong, Qi Xiu only sought a clear conscience.

Demons? Hmph. Kill first, ask questions later.

...

To reach Dongli County quickly, Qi Xiu sat cross-legged atop the ink dragon’s head as it carried him at full speed.

Though the ink dragon couldn’t fly high, it hovered a meter above the ground, moving faster than Qi Xiu’s own light-footed techniques.

Its speed reached nearly three hundred kilometers per hour—comparable to the high-speed trains of his previous life.

Why hadn’t he thought of this mode of travel before? Fast and stylish.

Sitting comfortably atop the ink dragon, the wind rushing past and scenery blurring by, Qi Xiu felt exhilarated.

But this method had its drawbacks. Maintaining the ink dragon’s physical form consumed much magical power. Half an hour was enough to drain most of his energy.

As he neared Dongli County’s border, Qi Xiu recalled the ink dragon to his sleeve and continued on foot, employing his lightness technique.

Half an hour later,

Near a mountain shaped like an inverted bowl, Qi Xiu suddenly paused, frowning as he sniffed the air.

Why was it so foul?

A faint stench lingered in the air, unlike ordinary rot, feces, or garbage. It was sticky, slippery, and oddly persistent—as if it would root itself in his nostrils.

“No, there’s supernatural energy in this smell.”

Sensing the unnatural taint, Qi Xiu lifted his sleeve.

He saw pale pustules swelling on his skin.

“As expected—something sinister!”

The ink dragon poked its head from his sleeve, gently biting Qi Xiu’s wrist and drawing out the corruption that had seeped into him.

And he hadn’t even reached Dongli County yet, already facing such danger?

Noticing the pustules vanish, Qi Xiu took a warding talisman from his bag and held it in his mouth.

A soft golden light flowed around his nose and mouth, quickly isolating and suppressing the invading corruption.

With the pollution dispelled, Qi Xiu pressed on. Upon cresting the mountain, he was taken aback.

Below, across hundreds of kilometers, the land was shrouded in a yellow-green, eerie mist.

The fog enveloped the area, making everything vague and gloomy. Mountains and forests alike appeared distorted, as if twisted by some indescribable force.

Under the influence of the miasma and supernatural pollution, every living thing was covered in ugly, sickening pustules.

Qi Xiu even saw a bald goose, featherless and covered in pustules, writhing in agony on the ground.

At the heart of this monstrous haze lay a county whose outline could barely be seen—Dongli County, Qi Xiu’s destination.

“So this is a true demon calamity?”

Feeling the destructive power wrought by a Dao-level demon, Qi Xiu was deeply shaken.

He thought of the fox demon he’d encountered in Baohe County. Compared to Jin Cai, the fox was gentle and adorable, like a kitten. Perhaps its injuries had limited its strength, making it no match for Jin Cai, a demon at its peak wielding formidable artifacts.

“A showdown at the summit. I might struggle alone.”

Qi Xiu gazed at the center of the demonic haze, pondering tactics.

Suddenly, a streak of red light shot back from the distance.

With a thunderous crash, it blasted a hole in the mountain, sending rocks and debris flying, grass and trees crushed to pulp.

A cloud of dust rose hundreds of meters high.

“Old Toad! If you know what’s good for you, hand over my brother now. When my allies arrive, we’ll dry you out and boil you for soup!”

A fearless shout echoed across the land.

Hearing this, Qi Xiu raised his brows in surprise.

“A rich lady?”

...

(End of chapter)